


Lemon Eyes

by overratedantihero



Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Barry has feelings and Hal has commitment issues, Communication, Established Relationship, Intoxication, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 03:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11477862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overratedantihero/pseuds/overratedantihero
Summary: Barry is not the jealous type. Except for when he is.





	Lemon Eyes

Barry Allen was not a jealous person. He refused to be. He couldn’t be. Especially not when it came to Hal Jordan. There were three fundamental truths to Hal that would never change, no matter how deeply Barry wished it.

One: Hal Jordan was a Green Lantern. He spent swaths of time (days, weeks, often months) in a faraway galaxy, unreachable to Barry even with all his speed. At a moment’s notice Hal disappeared to arbitrate between warring planets, to investigate internal strife, to ward off alien traffickers. Even if the Corps didn’t demand his action, Hal was never one to step aside in the wake of injustice or conflict. Hal would always throw himself into the fight, no matter what or who he was leaving behind in the process.

Two: Hal was a human. He bruised and he broke and sometimes he punctured organs. If Barry were to fret and hover every single time Hal was in mortal danger, Barry would never get anything done. Doting on Hal would mean neglecting Barry’s own duties, and Barry could never do that to his city or the League.

Three: Hal was a flirt. A notorious, obnoxious, shameless _flirt_. Women, men, strangers, his coworkers, his boss, his friends, his flight attendant- it almost didn’t matter who. Hal just liked to smile and wink, and he liked to be smiled and winked at. Sometimes Barry speculated that while Hal enjoyed the thrill of the chase, Hal could never enjoy, or even hardly stand, being genuinely cared for and loved.

And that’s what made Barry’s relationship with Hal so unique, and that’s what made their relationship delicate too. Barry knew that Hal would never intentionally hurt him, but he also knew that Hal couldn’t help himself. Carol learned that the hard way. Barry had seen it, time and time again. He was not going to make the same mistake as the women and men before him.

But still, Barry couldn’t help but feel a twinge of what could only be summarized as jealousy as he watched Hal balance a glass of wine in one hand, and Oliver Queen’s waist in the other. They were at a fundraiser hosted jointly by Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne for a coast to coast partnership with some international tech company. Oliver had invited Hal, despite Bruce’s protests. Hal brought Barry as his plus-one, despite Oliver’s protests. Hal promptly emptied five glasses of red wine and was currently on his sixth. Barry was clutching a glass of lemon water and keeping to the edges as much as humanly possible. Hal was throwing himself from one crowd to the next.

“Bored?” Bruce asked, materializing behind Barry. Barry jumped, swiveling to take in Bruce as he rarely got to see him. Bruce who was smiling and enigmatic and purposefully obtuse.

“No. Just not… good at parties. Technically here with Hal,” Barry stumbled over his words a bit. He wasn’t sure how much to say and how much to censor. He hadn’t expected Bruce to check in on him, and he certainly wasn’t used to Bruce checking in on him.

Bruce hummed. “I know you’re not a drinker, but try to have fun. You’re bringing the party down.”

Oh. So, that’s what this was. Barry was sticking out by sequestering himself, and Bruce didn’t need that either as heir of Wayne Enterprises or as someone who relied on the discretion of other Justice League members.

“Sure. Yeah. Of course. I’ll go have fun,” Barry murmured, walking away from Bruce. “Working on it.”

Bruce quirked an eyebrow but didn’t have time to respond before a socialite squealed his name and he became otherwise engaged.

Barry moved through the crowd to reach Hal and Ollie, whose voices were growing increasingly louder even as Hal plucked a seventh glass of wine from a waiter.

“Bar!” Hal announced, loudly, even as his hand tightened around Oliver. Then again, he needed to tighten his grip around Oliver in order to drag him towards Barry like he did.

“Hal,” Barry murmured, glancing around nervously. A few others were glancing towards them. Some were clearly annoyed with the noise, but others looked predatory.

“Is that water? Bar, no. Don’t do that. Try this shit. Oliver said it was good shit, and Oliver was right,” Hal said, thrusting his glass towards Barry. Oliver nodded.

“It’s true. I’m always right,” Oliver offered up. Barry glanced at the wine.

“Hal, you know I don’t… drink,” Barry murmured. Hal shook his head.

“’M asking you to taste, bud.”

Bud? Ouch. Barry bit back a flinch and gave a strained smile before reaching out and taking the glass from Hal. He sipped politely.

“Tasty,” Barry said, handing Hal the glass back. Hal tipped it back and drained it.

“Yes,” he said with a smack. “Which calls for another!”

Maybe Barry should have left. Maybe Barry should never have come in the first place. Oliver’s arm snaked around Hal’s neck and Hal laughed and Barry felt like take out and blanket forts, not suits and drunk half-boyfriends.

“Hal, I think I’m going to go,” Barry said, already backing away. Hal frowned and released Oliver.

“What? Why? Barry, the party’s just getting started. Oliver and I were planning to go back to his hotel room in a few anyway, just hang out with us and we can all go together,” Hal offered, closing the space between he and Barry. He reached out and adjusted Barry’s tie. Barry pushed his hands away.

“No, I think I’m just going to head home,” Barry murmured. “I’m tired. I don’t get drunk like you and Oliver do. Have fun though, okay? I’ll see you some other time.”

Hal opened his mouth to argue, but didn't get the chance. Barry turned and bolted, at as human a pace as he could manage, for a door. When he’d safely slipped out of sight, he tapped into the speedforce and sped home, changing into sweatpants and a soft, worn t-shirt before finally, finally settling down into the cushions of his couch and relaxing. He flicked on the television and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch around himself.

An hour into the B-list romantic comedy that he’d settled on, a bright green glow announced Hal even before Hal managed to clumsily crawl through his window. Barry raised an eyebrow as Hal took off the ring. Hal used the window sill to draw himself to his feet before stumbling over to the couch.

“Bar!” Hal whined. “Barry, you left me.” Hal sniffled and then fell to his knees, laying his head on Barry’s blanket-covered thigh before batting his big, stupid, brown eyes. Barry could already feel his defenses crumble, but Hal didn't need to know that.

“Did you fly while drunk?” Barry asked, turning down the television’s volume. Hal blinked.

“’M perfectly fine to fly,” Hal retorted. “The glowy kind though. Not the plane kind. I would crash the fuck out of a plane right now.”

Barry snorted, and didn’t complain when Hal slid a hand under the blanket to play with the edge of Barry’s shirt. Hal was cute when drunk, that much Barry could admit.

“Bar, why’d you leave?” Hal whined. “I missed you when you left.”

“It didn’t look like you missed me,” Barry murmured, against his better judgement. He carded his fingers through Hal’s hair, also against his better judgement.

Hal furrowed his brows. “What?”

Barry shrugged. “You looked occupied. With Oliver.”

Understanding dawned on Hal’s face, and Barry wished it hadn’t.

“You were jealous,” Hal said, in awe. “Bartholomew, you were jealous of Ollie!”

“Wasn’t!” Barry protested, but it was too late.

“You were! Barry, all you had to do was ask and we could’ve danced,” Hal cooed. “Could’ve done more than dance,” he added.

“Nope. No. I am not messing around with you in Bruce Wayne’s manor,” Barry retorted. “By the way, if anyone saw you come in glowing like that I’ll have to move again.”

“I’ll help you move,” Hal offered. “Can I get on the couch?”

Barry sighed, checked the time on the clock on the wall, and nodded. “Yeah. Come on.”

Hal grinned and scrambled on top of Barry, only elbowing and kicking Barry a little bit in the process. Hal didn’t bother with the blanket and instead settled himself contentedly on top of Barry, nuzzling his neck. Barry wrinkled his nose at the smell of alcohol.

“I don’t like parties,” Barry said. “You know that.”

“I know,” Hal confirmed. “But I like it when you come with me. I like you.”

“Do you? Or do you like attention?”

Hal frowned and Barry regretted saying anything.

“I like you. And I like attention. I can like both,” Hal insisted. “I like you more though. I can prove it. Ollie’s still at the party. Skipped out on Ollie to come bother you. See?”

Even though Hal was drunk and speaking in silly, staccato sentences, Barry still felt the tug at his heart strings over Hal’s earnestness. And even though Barry wasn’t sure Hal could ever love him like he wanted Hal to, he could admit that Hal did love him.

“Yeah. I see,” Barry murmured. And he did. “Wanna get under the blanket?”

Hal grinned and adjusted himself while Barry yanked the blanket out from under him. Hal resettled against Barry’s body, and Barry wrapped the blanket around them both. In the background, the romantic comedy was wrapping up into a neat, beautiful ending that Barry knew he could never have with Hal.

But, then again, he wasn’t expecting to. What he did have was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I kept my Hamilton reference to a minimum, you're welcome.


End file.
